Posts tagged Horse Training

Overcoming Fear and Pain in a Horse

April 15, 2012 · Filed under Animal Communication, Case Reports, Health & Healing, Horsin' Around · Tagged , , , , , ,

This is something that is definitely easier said than done. And often people, even horse people, mistake fear or pain for defiance and meanness.



When I talked to this little girl a few days ago, it was hard to even get her to open up at first. She was very mistrusting and fearful, so having someone start talking to her who she couldn’t see was a pretty scary thing. She never did reveal her true, underlying personality because she was “flat” emotionally from her past experiences and dealings with humans. But she did show me lots of mental pictures and convey lots of feelings and ideas about why she behaves as she does.

I was called in to talk to this four-year-old filly because she spooked, shied, bolted, and bit—to the extreme. She had been bought from two “horse traders” not too many months ago, as a three-year-old who had been started at two, and nothing more was known about her background. Her new owner was very badly injured in an accident soon after getting her, when the filly spooked and bolted out from under her. She’d been hand-walked ever since (2-1/2 hours a day), but exhibited the same behavior even then, plus was now biting at her owner while they walked.

Not a pretty picture. Her owner was understandably afraid to ride her again, and was getting shoved and knocked around considerably by the filly during their walks. Both owner and horse were now afraid, so the filly had no strong leader to trust—a must in a horse’s natural life.

A four-year-old is still basically a baby horse, and if they’ve had a rough start like this girl, that young age is doubly stacked against them. This filly did show me that she had once been a normal, happy, frolicking foal, which gave me hope that that basic personality could still be resurrected. She showed me a traumatic weaning, very rough handling, and that she had extreme pain and restriction in her neck, which seemed to cut off neurological and circulatory function to the extent that her peripheral vision was restricted. So things coming into her vision “from the wrong place,” suddenly and unexpectedly, caused much of her spooking. Horses, being prey animals, can see peripherally almost all the way behind them, and that’s where predators come from. So it’s no wonder she freaked out all the time. And she said she was biting because her head was being jerked on, and it hurt!

Her owner, who had never consulted with an animal communicator before, and who was a novice horse-person, wanted me to explain things to the filly and simply tell her how she needed to behave. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, though many people think it must be. It is assumed that if you can talk to an animal, you can just tell them what to do, how to be, not to be afraid, etc. No. You can’t override fear or pain via intellectual explanation. I have a bad back, and if someone told me to simply ignore the pain and carry on normally when I’m in the middle of an extreme episode, I would think they were both nuts and lacking compassion. I think it’s the same with animals. They might hear us tell them “everything is okay,” but until we can provide concrete help that engenders trust and relief, no change will occur.

For this baby I recommended much shorter walks in-hand, a non-invasive technique of body work called Ortho-Bionomy, and trainer Carolyn Resnick’s at-liberty approach designed to appeal to a horse in the horse’s own “language,” thereby building trust and confidence in both horse and owner.

When I have a session like this, no matter how detached and emotionally clear I try to stay, it always pains me to have to sign off, knowing that things could go either way. Sometimes I get feedback later; sometimes I don’t. And horses like this filly, who are in a state of pain and mistrust, are dangerous animals who often end up being passed around and suffering more and more abuse due to lack of understanding.

I hope and pray in this case that this little girl gets the help she needs, and that her human companions won’t continue to write off her behavior as intentional aggression.

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Homesickness and Horse Training

March 31, 2010 · Filed under Horsin' Around, Leta's Desert Diary, Personal Stuff, Uncategorized · Tagged , ,

Nova, in training, doing what she says is the "same ole," "same ole."

Do you think horses in training get homesick?

I do. And some of them have told me so in our conversations. But then again, I guess it depends on the horse and their personality. Like kids: some can never go to camp, period, because they get so homesick. And others would like to live there.

Last week I went with my friend Cindy on her obligatory weekly jaunt to work with her 2-year-old filly, Nova, at a horse trainer’s where Nova is spending a few weeks to get some basic etiquette and moves under her belt. Our impression upon arrival was that Nova was listless and kind of depressed and had NO idea what she was doing in this place.

Nova and Cindy, sharing a special moment while at the trainer's.

Homesick? I don’t know. It was not my place to tune in with Nova and ask her. But she sure didn’t seem particularly happy, so maybe missing Cindy and her goat and dog buddies, with whom she is very bonded, were why. Cindy and I are going to pick her up in a couple of days, and we can’t wait to get her back home!

Right now I can relate. Having moved to NM two years ago from the Texas Hill Country — not in small part to escape the ferocious heat and humidity which seems to prevail there at least half the year — I’m still getting used to the fact that our spring here arrives about two months after what I am used to. Now don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t go back, and I thrive on this climate of dry coolnth, wonderful snows in the winter, and fabulous summers where I don’t even need air conditioning.

But it’s March 31st, and everything where I used to live is, I know for a fact, so green it puts your eyes out, and there is literally no place more beautiful in the early spring than the Texas Hill Country.

So right now I’m homesick. My Texas friends have been raving about the beauty this spring, after their horrendous drought finally broke and Mother Nature gave them a real winter with lots of rain and cold. They are carrying on in glowing terms about the glorious wildflowers and the fantastic temperatures. So it’s a record-breaking-beautiful spring there and, as I sit here with a fairly high chance of yet another snow tomorrow evening, all I can think about is my Texas ranch.

No, I still would not trade places. And am willing to wait for my iris bulbs to bloom in another month or so (they bloomed by mid-February in Austin!), the fragrant lilac bushes all around the house to come out, and the beds of beautiful perennial flowers to unfurl their little fronds and smile at me.

But right now . . .  sob! I miss that gorgeous Texas ranch with its rolling meadows, craggy hills, huge oaks, all-weather creek that my horses could swim in at will, and the 200-year-old pecan and walnut trees next to it. I even miss the huge wild boar who regularly traversed my riding arena. I must say, that ranch is one of the most beautiful places on earth.And I was blessed to live on it for eight years.

I’m glad I moved. I love this high desert climate. I’m much less isolated and have many more kindred-spirit friends close by. And my animals and I are thriving here. I just had to share my homesickness . . . and a few pictures of my Texas ranch. Maybe the lesson for me is that I need to go to Texas every March or April to see my friends and to soak up the magic of its unsurpassed springtime!

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Say What?! Teach Dressage to My Cow Horse?!

January 16, 2010 · Filed under Horsin' Around · Tagged , , ,

You bet. Absolutely. Do not pass go. Train your horse in dressage. No matter what breed or how he’s built.

Why?

Because — in case you ever doubted it, or just didn’t know this particular bit of trivia — dressage constitutes the basics of everything good that can happen with your horse when you’re talking about training. In fact, you are probably including it in your work with your horse without even realizing it or knowing about it.

(And you don’t ever have to look like this picture . . . or wear those clothes.)

Here is the United States Dressage Federation’s beautifully simple definition of this ancient equine art:

Dressage is a French term meaning “training” and its purpose is to develop the horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to work, making him calm, supple, and attentive to his rider.

Now I ask you? Does that capture what you want in your horse or not? If you own a horse — no matter what breed or what discipline you are involved in — you know that these attributes and talents are what you strive for above all else. They can be summed up as:

  • natural athletic ability
  • willingness to work
  • calmness
  • suppleness
  • attentiveness

I mean, what more could you want?

Most of us who have horses, if we’re totally honest and unless we are world-class competitors, would say that our horses are at least a tiny bit deficient in one or more of these categories. Right?

So get with the dressage training and fill in those blanks!

There are NINE (whew!) levels in competitive dressage. But forget about that. You do not have to be striving to compete in any of those levels or even on Level One. Just learn the basics of what dressage is all about and use it in your every day training, whether that be in the arena or at feeding time*.

You might have to learn, or at least play with, a few new skills, with your seat or legs or groundwork, but be willing to experiment. If you and your horse have a bond, he or she will forgive you if you aren’t perfect.

Basically, what you are teaching your horse in dressage work is:

  1. Number One: to listen to you (and what equine discipline doesn’t require that?), so you will become one, a team, a partnership — don’t all the schools of  “natural horsemanship” stress this above all else?
  2. Number Two: to tune into his or her own body and learn to use it in such a way that it is comfortable, efficient, and responsive (you’d be surprised at how many horses don’t even know they have back feet!)
  3. Number Three: to be confident (which follows naturally once your horse is attuned to you and his or her own body)

Voila! Your cow horse — now trained in a few basic dressage techniques — has added a whole new dimension to his personality and performance, not to mention his relationship with you.

Is it really worth it? Teaching your horse a few of these basics that date back to waaaaaaaaay before any of us can even imagine? I’d say definitely YES, from personal experience. (And if you’d like to read a little more about the history of dressage, dating back to Xenophon, go HERE.)

In any case, and no matter what your chosen equine discipline, give dressage some consideration. Certainly if you are experiencing  problems. I think those early masters and military leaders have a lot to offer us when it comes to training our horses.

Oh, and by the way, dressage techniques go with and don’t interfere with any other kind of training you may be engaged in. Keep that in mind! Dressage is really nothing more than BASIC TRAINING.

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* Feeding Time: Oh yeah. What goes on then is a topic for a whole nother blog post! One can DEFINITELY engage in training activities at feeding time! Stay tuned.

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That Mustang Thang!!!

November 16, 2009 · Filed under Horsin' Around, Leta's Philosophy 101, Mustangs, Personal Stuff · Tagged , , , ,

You know what I’m talking about if you are a Mustang devotee. Once you really know a Mustang, you’ve definitely been had — in a good way. Other horses just don’t quite compare.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have several other types of horses, and I adore each and every one of them. But there are just certain things about my Mustang Bella that have me totally captivated.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot these past two weeks because I’ve brought in a new rescue Quarter Horse mare who looks like she’s going to be a real gem. And she has a personality very similar to Bella’s.

And there the similarity ends!

In spite of the fact that this 8-year-old mare has been essentially running wild for the last 4 years as a brood mare, bearing at least 3 babies during that time . . . and in spite of the fact that we couldn’t even walk up to her when we first brought her home without her panicking and jumping away from us . . . she has, in two weeks, turned into a total pussycat.

Her obvious good breeding and early training became apparent after a mere 4 days of consistent handling, and she passed her first farrier visit with flying colors today. She has impeccable ground manners and will do just about anything to please. Including standing on her head  if one has a treat at hand. Well, I’m exaggerating a bit there, but her food obsession will obviously be to our advantage in her in future training.

And why do I mention all this? Because, after an incredible foundation in training and mileage, and in spite of a desire to please me, Bella still does everything on her own terms. She loves treats too, but would never stand on her head for one. She is not nearly as easy to lead as the new mare, or even to move around. In fact, she has a reputation for being the original “immovable object.” She takes a ton of leg when riding her, and if she decides she doesn’t want to do something she simply stops, dead cold.  Stuff like that.  I could go on, but you probably get the idea.

And yet, Mustang Bella is my be-all/end-all, my cat’s meow. She is what floats my boat and blows my skirt up. And I think it’s because she, like all Mustangs, possesses an amazing sense of self and self-preservation. She has extremely high integrity and gives respect back to those who respect her equally.

"Lohpe," short for Penelope

Our new mare, “Lohpe,” will become a valued and beloved member of

our

family, I can already tell. We will adore her for her gentle and giving nature and hopefully many unseasoned riders will benefit from her flexible spirit.

"Bella," the Cat's Meow

But Bella will remain the queen and reign supreme over our small herd. She knows her place and understands her role. And yet, at the same time, she treats me as her foal. Really. She does.

Stuff gets done largely on Bella’s terms …. but she is my obsession.

My Mustang Bella rules.

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HERE’S ANOTHER POST ON HOW MUSTANG ARE DIFFERENT:

How Are Wild-Captured Mustangs Different From Our Domesticated Breeds?

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A Metal Mustang

July 17, 2009 · Filed under Case Reports, Horsin' Around, Mustangs, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

Beautiful Reyacita

Beautiful Reyacita

I’m not talking about a bronze statue here. I’m talking about a constitutional type that in Traditional Chinese Medicine is called Metal. And Reyacita is an adorable little Mustang mare who falls into that category.

Reyacita, Rey for short, is the most recent of my friend Stephanie’s Mustangs, having been adopted by her last January from the Canon City, CO, prison BLM Mustang program. She was 3 years old and had been haltered, but that’s as far as her training had gone.

Stephanie has adopted one Mustang a year for many years, and every single one has been totally different from all the rest.

As you can see, Reyacita has an exceptionally beautiful head and face for a Mustang, and a very soft eye. She looks like a pushover, doesn’t she? She did to Stephanie too, and she started out that way. Then things turned rough.

The well-balanced Metal horse, according to Horse Harmony — Understanding Horse Types and Temperaments, by Dr. Madalyn Ward, D.V.M., is “hard-working, consistent, dependable, and tough” and can do well in just about any job.

So what happened with Reyacita? She started out calmly and solidly and looked like she was going to be all those things — but then she blew, and blew hard in a totally unexpected bucking fit! In Stephanie’s words, “I think I pushed her too fast in the beginning, but she was too stoic to let it show.”

This would make sense, given what Stephanie soon found out about Reyacita’s health and considering Dr. Ward’s recommendations for training a Metal horse:

Repetition is the key to success for the Metal horse. Of all of the types, the Metal horse is the slowest to grasp new concepts. It is not that the Metal horse is not intelligent, but he does best when he is allowed to master single skills before moving to the next lesson. Therefore a methodical, step-by-step approach to his training works best.

Stephanie got back on after the bucking fit but then gave both herself and Reyacita a couple of months off.  She also discovered that Rey had a lung problem known as heaves, and Dr. Ward hypothesized that this was the reason she had bucked in the first place — she couldn’t breathe! With good holistic and homeopathic treatment for the lung problem, and once back on a very routinized and revamped training program, Reyacita came right back around to the solid, steady mare she had seemed to be at first.

Reyacita’s lung problem ties in with the Metal constitution and was no doubt one of the clues that helped Stephanie finally figure out her personality type.  According to Dr. Ward, Metal horses are prone to respiratory diseases and heaves. They also have a high pain tolerance, which means they will often keep working until injury or illness incapacitates them, which is what happened with Rey.

This case study is a great example of how figuring out your horse’s constitutional and personality type can make all the difference in how you train, feed, and handle her. Without the changes Stephanie was able to make in Reyacita’s training and care program, no telling what the future would have held for this adorable little horse!

Rey and Steph are way past this point now, but this is the slow, careful approach Stephanie took when she resumed Reyacita's new training program.

Rey and Steph are way past this point now, but this is the slow, gentle approach Stephanie took when she resumed Reyacita's new training program.

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How is Horse Training Like Religion? . . . and what does this have to do with Easter?

April 12, 2009 · Filed under Horsin' Around, Personal Stuff · Tagged , , , ,

While building up the fire at dawn and cuddling Frida, who, God bless her soul, had slept through the night again, I was listening to an Easter program on National Public Radio. The interviewer was talking to Jewish rabbis, Christian pastors, and others as well about the meaning of the Easter/Passover traditions and time of year. Now I am not a religious person in the way our culture thinks of that word, but I am definitely a spiritual person and, in fact, my life and my work hub around my personal spiritual beliefs. I never argue religion with anyone because to my way of thinking everyone must arrive at their own set of beliefs that shore them up and make them feel inspired in that awestruck kind of way. So, while I have chosen not to take part in organized religion for decades now, I totally honor those who do embrace it and take great joy in seeing what support and inspiration it provides them.

One theological author being interviewed about his views on how Christianity is changing with the times expressed my beliefs perfectly when he said, “Religion is simply a vehicle for personal transformation.” Yes! Finally! A “religious” person got it right! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a member of the Roman Catholic Church or believe in Shiva with six arms (he agreed), the point is the very existence of your belief is what opens your eyes and expands your horizons — transformation can’t help but follow.

What does this have to do with horse training? A lot. It’s the same principle. When you expose a horse to something new and teach it to behave or perform a different way, its horizons expand and its mind opens.

You can bet this horse is a very different individual than he was before he was trained!

You can bet this horse is a very different individual than he was before he was trained!

And in that process, assuming the training is proper and humane, the horse gains tremendously, in both skill and confidence. He becomes a very different animal than he was when he started out, and he has a much broader frame of reference. He becomes much more able to relate to his person and to handle new things. When I asked my Mustang, Bella, to share her opinion about training, here’s what she said: “My training helped me shift my spirit. Not just from a wild horse to a friend horse, but from a reactive person [yes, she did use this word] to a thinking one. I still react sometimes, but I love it when I remember I can think and work through something. Plus, it’s fun to please. I really love that. Very fulfilling.” If this isn’t an example of expansion and transformation, I don’t know what is.

Today, Easter, and this Passover season are definitely a time for giving thanks and for reflection upon whatever beliefs bring you comfort. Whether you’re training a horse or serving a 7-course seder, it’s all about freedom and expansion, death and rebirth. We go through the cycle over and over, all of us, both human and animal. Happy Easter everyone.

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